Sunday, April 16, 2006
WET WET WET!!!
Today certainly was a splashing good time... It's the Burmese and Thai New Year today (not to mention Easter Sunday, Tamil new Year and Sikh New Year a couple of days ago), the traditional puo1 shui3 jie2 (literally translated means throw water festival). And i got drenched while at work....
Lucky Plaza was fairly quiet. But the crowd at Peninsula was in a very festive mood... with shows at the atrium, free food for all (at nearly every shop! free noodles and dessert.. queues were snaking everywhere) level after level was packed to the brim! u really had to jiggle through. Looks like almost the whole Burmese population in SG was there!
Went to my distributors shop and started to help out. And they started splashing me!! People whom I dun even know too! Didn't help that I was dressed in a yellow polo... prime target. And being female made it even more so... I tried to run in the initial few times but then realized that it was very rude. After all the splashing was meant to take away the bad stuff of old... so.. darn... just get splashed lor... sigh. But it was in the name of good fun. And I am very thankful that the water they used was Ice Mountain bottled water! Phew, not some long kang zui. Half the time I was pretty worried that they were going to drizzle the dessert down my back!
My distributor was giving away free Burmese dessert. Some sort of milky concoction of ice, green jelly (ala the kind in chendol) and sago with pieces of bread in it. To put it more nicely... the way they made it, it AVA were here... I'm pretty sure they will get fined... ha ha.. imagine... the plastic containers with rollers? They were using that to mix up the concoction... I don't even want to imagine what the plastic container was used for in the first place... when they offered me, I declined politely saying that I haven't had lunch yet (which was the truth)
And to make it even worse... it rained heavily in the evening. It really poured. Talk about "Pour" shui3 jie2. Needless to say Little India was a washout and i got more drenched...
Sigh... talk about a wet sunday... AH CHOO!!!!!
Lucky Plaza was fairly quiet. But the crowd at Peninsula was in a very festive mood... with shows at the atrium, free food for all (at nearly every shop! free noodles and dessert.. queues were snaking everywhere) level after level was packed to the brim! u really had to jiggle through. Looks like almost the whole Burmese population in SG was there!
Went to my distributors shop and started to help out. And they started splashing me!! People whom I dun even know too! Didn't help that I was dressed in a yellow polo... prime target. And being female made it even more so... I tried to run in the initial few times but then realized that it was very rude. After all the splashing was meant to take away the bad stuff of old... so.. darn... just get splashed lor... sigh. But it was in the name of good fun. And I am very thankful that the water they used was Ice Mountain bottled water! Phew, not some long kang zui. Half the time I was pretty worried that they were going to drizzle the dessert down my back!
My distributor was giving away free Burmese dessert. Some sort of milky concoction of ice, green jelly (ala the kind in chendol) and sago with pieces of bread in it. To put it more nicely... the way they made it, it AVA were here... I'm pretty sure they will get fined... ha ha.. imagine... the plastic containers with rollers? They were using that to mix up the concoction... I don't even want to imagine what the plastic container was used for in the first place... when they offered me, I declined politely saying that I haven't had lunch yet (which was the truth)
And to make it even worse... it rained heavily in the evening. It really poured. Talk about "Pour" shui3 jie2. Needless to say Little India was a washout and i got more drenched...
Sigh... talk about a wet sunday... AH CHOO!!!!!
Friday, April 14, 2006
Pray pray pray
Today was a weird day. For some reason or another, I was compelled to walk into the Thian Hock Kheng temple (Singapore's oldest temple). I have passed by this temple countless times, every week without fail. Largely due to the fact that I have to walk to my printers and it is along the way.
Usually, I avoid it due to the crowd: camera-toting tourists in large groups snapping away; their loud mouthed tour guides talking very loudly so that they can be heard among the tourist chatter and traffic on the roads; pesky school children who are there because of their heritage tour... but today, it was deviod of all these. And when i walked passed, a sense of peacefulness washed over me. For the first time, the temple actually looked inviting. So taking a break from the hustle and bustle of work, I stepped in (ok fine.. I decided to chiak zua).
I really don't know why I actually gave it a second look. Maybe it's because I was recently a tourist myself (in Chiang Mai). Maybe because of the recent spate of events that made me want to get some assurance? The last time I went there, it was due to a secondary school heritage tour. The place has become more spartan. Lesser idols around. They have repainted the place, especially the roofs. They are now gilded in gold paint. The roof of the Thian Hock Kheng is after all well known to be built without a single nail (using only interconnecting beams). And if I am not mistaken, there used to be a pond where you can throw coins at bells. If you hit the bell, your wish could come true. Sadly it's no longer there. I was also looking for 2 old idols. The last time I was there, they were the last surviving evidence of the existance of opium in Singapore. People in the past smeared the mouths of these idols with opium in a bid to get a "good report" to the jade emperor.
Since I was there, I decided to pray. I prayed for the safety for my two close friends who have just left for Taiwan. That was pretty apt, because in the past, denizens went to the Thian Hock Kheng to pray for safe passage over the seas. When they (or their loved ones) were travelling to (or out of) Singapore, they made offerings to the deities. If they or their loved ones arrived safe, they will return to pay tribute to the temple. It was the most important temple for sailors then. I wonder if it still works for air travel? Ha ha
I also prayed for my other 3 close friends for a "smooth sailing" few weeks ahead. 2 had just gotten into car accidents. Kokodile's one was not so bad. But it's complicated because the opposition was drink driving and no insurance company was willing to take the case. The only alternative was to take it to the courts. King Kong's was pretty bad, with the whole rear being smashed in. I'm pretty sure that the damage would be in the thousands. I also prayed for more luck for King Kong. Maybe he might get lucky and get a new car :). And lastly for Kame, for her to find a job that she is happy in.
Should everything be smooth sailing for these people, I shall keep my promise and return to give thanks!
Usually, I avoid it due to the crowd: camera-toting tourists in large groups snapping away; their loud mouthed tour guides talking very loudly so that they can be heard among the tourist chatter and traffic on the roads; pesky school children who are there because of their heritage tour... but today, it was deviod of all these. And when i walked passed, a sense of peacefulness washed over me. For the first time, the temple actually looked inviting. So taking a break from the hustle and bustle of work, I stepped in (ok fine.. I decided to chiak zua).
I really don't know why I actually gave it a second look. Maybe it's because I was recently a tourist myself (in Chiang Mai). Maybe because of the recent spate of events that made me want to get some assurance? The last time I went there, it was due to a secondary school heritage tour. The place has become more spartan. Lesser idols around. They have repainted the place, especially the roofs. They are now gilded in gold paint. The roof of the Thian Hock Kheng is after all well known to be built without a single nail (using only interconnecting beams). And if I am not mistaken, there used to be a pond where you can throw coins at bells. If you hit the bell, your wish could come true. Sadly it's no longer there. I was also looking for 2 old idols. The last time I was there, they were the last surviving evidence of the existance of opium in Singapore. People in the past smeared the mouths of these idols with opium in a bid to get a "good report" to the jade emperor.
Since I was there, I decided to pray. I prayed for the safety for my two close friends who have just left for Taiwan. That was pretty apt, because in the past, denizens went to the Thian Hock Kheng to pray for safe passage over the seas. When they (or their loved ones) were travelling to (or out of) Singapore, they made offerings to the deities. If they or their loved ones arrived safe, they will return to pay tribute to the temple. It was the most important temple for sailors then. I wonder if it still works for air travel? Ha ha
I also prayed for my other 3 close friends for a "smooth sailing" few weeks ahead. 2 had just gotten into car accidents. Kokodile's one was not so bad. But it's complicated because the opposition was drink driving and no insurance company was willing to take the case. The only alternative was to take it to the courts. King Kong's was pretty bad, with the whole rear being smashed in. I'm pretty sure that the damage would be in the thousands. I also prayed for more luck for King Kong. Maybe he might get lucky and get a new car :). And lastly for Kame, for her to find a job that she is happy in.
Should everything be smooth sailing for these people, I shall keep my promise and return to give thanks!
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Chiang Mai Escapade! - 28 Mar 4th Day
Today is the final day of our Chiang Mai trip. The only major event would be the cooking class in the morning. Thankfully, this time pickup was more decent, 10am local time. That gave DC and I enough time to recover from yesterday's rafting. With arms and legs aching we hobbled down for our final Continental breakfast. Their special for the day was some curry chicken noodles. You do it yourself by putting the amount of noodles (a thinner mee pok version) you want in a bowl, put in all the condiments (onions, garlic, lime, sugar, fish sauce, crackers, coconut milk etc) and you pour the curry over. Simple but oh so good!!! Though a tad oily, the curry was fragrant, the spiciness just right, and the taste just out of this world. Nothing like the kind of the curries back home in SG. Maybe it had something to do being simmered in earthern pots? Whatever it was, I went back for 3 servings!!! yum yum!
Pick up was slightly higher class this time. It came in the form of a Honda CRV. There was already 2 passengers in the car, both caucasian. One was called Tamara, the other called John. Both were Americans teaching in schools for families of employees of US oil companies based in Saudi Arabia. Tamara was a nice person. John was not. In fact, he was an obnoxious arrogant American. I was really wondering how they get along... (they are not a couple btw)
A bit of background and info on John:
he's a divorcee with a son who is in high school (so his age is about early 40 I guess?). Teaches music in school. He talks in a really condescending tone and to top it all off his mannerisms are a bit... "broken wristed" (I was wondering if his son was an accident.. like in TransAmerica). He talks like this: "Oh... so you're from Singapore? Where's that?" In fact.. he looks a little like George Bush.. He's thin, probably about 6"2, has light brown hair that's tied up in a pony tail.
A bit of background and info on Tamara:
Teaches English in the school. Has taught in other countries like Sudan and Mexico. A bit on the plump side, she's my height with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. Has a friendly tone of voice.
Upon introduction, John was asking where we are from. We said Singapore. He asked where's that and we told him. Then he commented that we spoke good English. I replied saying that most people speak English in Singapore. My reply wasn't meant to be a barb, I was just speaking the honest to goodness truth! But I think he took it that I was making a sarcastic remark and his replies to me took a caustic turn after. oh well... let's just say that I spoke really little to him after.
We reached our cooking school, Kao Hom after an uncomfortable 40 mins. The place was really nice! Think cottage style with only one level, terracotta roof, granite path ways, stone carvings, lush greenery, it's own mini vegetable garden... Beautiful. There was a long table in the garden for outdoor eating too. It had an outdoor patio with multiple cooking stations around the perimeter (for us to cook) and an island in the centre (so that our teacher can demonstrate). Indoors, there were 6 long benches (3 by 2). Each bench could sit 2 and had a sink in the centre (with handwash no less). All the necessary equipment was stored under the benches in shelves. It brought me back to my Home Economics days. But of course this was more cosy!
Kao Hom means Fragrant Rice and is one of the cooking schools recommended by Lonely Planet. And our teacher was Ms Kanchana Ubolsootvanich (we called her Tim for short). Looking to be in her early 40's, she's a real sprite! She also has her own restaurant which she tends to as well. So her day begins early at 4am to do marketing for her restaurant, go to the restaurant to cook up some of the dishes, then return to the cooking school to start teaching from 11 - 7pm (there are 2 classes per day).. and this includes handling enquiries, arranging transport for the guests etc. I looked at this petite lady in wonder where she gets all her energy from. But Tim was nice and friendly, not to mention encouraging!
So our lessons began for the 8 of us: Tamara, John, the Williams family, DC and I. The Williams family consisted mum and dad and their 2 daughters. Similar to Tamara & John, the Williams family are based in Dubai by the Canadian government to work in a Canadian built hospital there.
So the menu for the day was (in order of appearance - by appearance, I mean when they are served... not how ugly they look. Gimme some credit here!!!)
1) Corn fritters with cucumber relish.
2) Fried fish with mango salad
3) Phad Thai
4) Pumpkin custard
With Tim's instructions, it was pretty easy to do up the dishes. All the ingredients were already prepared, to the exact measurement. All you had to do was to put it in in sequence. And there were many helpers at hand to help out as well. They cleared away the saucers once we were done with them and helped us to keep in check the heat etc, stirring the food occasionally. Piece of cake! And after we did each dish, we went to the long table in the garden to sit and sample what we made. Thankfully, the food I cooked came out decent and edible! If not it would have been a very pathetic lunch. I was particularly proud of my mango salad (Tim had commented that mine looked very professional and presentable).
Though my Phad Thai came out slightly burnt because my heat setting was too high... damn, it still tasted ok, nonetheless. And we washed it down with nice ice cold lemon tea. And did I mention that the coffee was fantastic? I found it hard to believe that it was instant coffee!!!
here's the website for those interested: www.kaohom.com
But more importantly, the cooking lesson gave a sliver of insight to cultures. I somehow felt that the Americans were very competitive. Tamara and John did things very very quickly. They were always ahead. But it really made me wonder if they are really appreciating the whole thing? This wasn't a competition! As for the Canadian Williams family, they took things at a slower pace. Each parent was working with a daughter and they were very encouraging. They prodded their daughters on, reminding them to add what etc. 2 countries so close to each other but yet so different. But perhaps it was an unfair comparison?
Well, the cooking lesson ended and once again the 4 of us were packed in the Honda CRV while the Williams family were in another vehicle headed to the Airport. And once again the uncomfortable silence ensued. But yet the ride back was not without certain entertainment from dear John:
Act 1: When we were on our way to Kao Hom, near the entrance was a street football compound. At the nets, a dog was tangled there and it looked as if it was trying it's best to get out, trashing about and barking. Dear John was whining, "Oh the poor dog.. whose is it? Why is it tangled? it looks hurt" blah blah blah. But since we had to keep time, we went ahead. On the way out the same dog was still there. This time, it looked worn out from struggling and just lay there, seemingly exhausted. Dear John went "On no, we really have to save it! It looks like it's dead! It looks like it's suffocated! The poor thing" blah blah blah. So our driver stopped the car and we got out, attempting to do OPERATION TANGLED DOG, with Dear John leading. But guess what? As we were approaching the dog, it got up and started growling. And I do mean GROWLING. And that is when dear john chickened out. "Oh, it doesn't seem friendly, and it looks ok and doesn't need our help. Let's go back to the car".... Wuss. So we bundled back into the car again.
Act 2: As we were travelling about in Chiang Mai, dear John suddenly made this comment: "Who is this guy I keep seeing around the whole place in these huge posters?". This "guy" that dear john was mentioning, so happens to be the KING of Thailand (yes.. do I hear "OH MY GOD???"). As if the silence in the car wasn't oppressive enough, dear john's comment just made it more suffocating. After a period of awkward silence, DC spoke up and said that that "guy" was the King of Thailand. And dear john's response? "Oh... he's the king? He looks like a regular joe to me". The silence in the car became so thick that if I had a knife, I could've cut right through it. And I was imagining the headlines in the papers the next day: Woman driver kills foreigners who slander Thai King. Oh God...The Thai's love their King and revere him at an even higher level than god! And just the day before, the headlines told of a mad man who was clubbered to death because he wrecked the famous Erawan Shrine in Bangkok... Yeah... I just wanted to kick dear john out of the car.. while it was till moving!
Thankfully, we managed to reach our hotel in one piece. Since we had 2 hours to spare before checkout, we decided to indulge in a massage. This time, no Thai massage. Instead, we decided to get ourselves slathered in coffee! Yeah.. it was a coffee scrub massage treatment. The coffee smelled so good, I was so tempted to lick some off myself. And to a certain extent, I felt like some sort of... cake.. ha ha ha. But that was the final pampering we were going to get. Back in SG, such a treatment will set you back S$50 - S$100, depending on where you went. But in Chiang Mai, it was less than S$30. Final moments of being treated like a king..
For the next few hours, details were a bit hazy. Largely because we had to checkout in 10 mins. AND we discovered that we still had Baileys in the fridge. So... DC and I finished the last 1/3 of Baileys in 5 mins flat! Oh my god.. I dun think I have drunk anything that fast before. Hence.. everything became hazy after that. Ha ha ha. I vaguely remember checking out, then leaving our belongings with the bellboy. And I believe that we ventured to a nearby shop to buy a cheap haversack for DC. I left the bargaining to DC since I was feeling really zoned out. Unfortunately, he can't haggle... so I don't think he got the best deal. Dinner was at a nearby hotel restaurant since we didn't have enough cash (so had to pay by credit). I didn't eat much and the food really wasn't fantastic (it was german food cooked by Thais). Pretty soon, we were back at our hotel, waiting for the airport pickup.
The trip to the airport kinda sobered me up a bit. Our flight was supposed to be at 10.30pm. When we got to the airport, we were astounded by the length of the queue! There were 2 rows and both had snaked to the entrance of the airport! But we didn't have much of a choice. That wasn't the punchline. As we were finally inching closer to the counter, I was feeling elated, thinking that I could be on the plane and zonked out soon. Then I noticed a sign on the counter. I rubbed my eyes and wished it was a bad dream. The sign read: 10.30pm flight delayed till 11.50pm... I was just struck speechless.
If it had been Changi airport, maybe I wouldn't have minded so much. But the airport in Chiang Mai had NOTHING open at 10.30pm. No Shopping, No entertainment, No Bars... zip.. nada.. So the only thing was to sit, twiddle your thumbs and wait. Ours wasn't the only flight delayed: another Thai Airways flight was delayed due to bad weather in Bangkok. So the whole waiting area was packed, people complaining, snoring, irate kids screaming, frazzled parents also screaming. Then when the plane finally landed at 12 midnight, the kiasu syndrome kicked in once again. I very nearly just wanted to mao some people...
The flight back wasn't smooth. It had quite a few turbulent moments. By the time we reached back Singapore, it was already past 4am. The novelty of being in the new Budget terminal didn't even appeal to me. I just wanted to get back home. Clearing immigration was pretty fast. And seeing that DFS was open, i decided to grab a few duty free liquor. Unfortunately, so did many others. And there was only 1 person on duty. Needless to say, even more waiting was in order. Many gave up and left the shop. But I surprisingly perservered. Maybe because I was just resigned to the fact that since it is already this late, why not even later? Or it could be the alcohol.. heh heh.
Then there was the fact that the budget terminal didn't have a POSB atm at all. DC and I were penniless!!! Oh gosh. The nearest ATM was at Terminal 2. Fed up, I just decided to try my luck and asked the taxi uncles if they accepted credit card. Thankfully, 2 taxi's did and DC and I went our seperate ways.
I finally reached home at 6am in the morning! Needless to say.. i just crashed in a heap on my bed. Zzzzz......
And that concludes my Chiang Mai adventures :)
Pick up was slightly higher class this time. It came in the form of a Honda CRV. There was already 2 passengers in the car, both caucasian. One was called Tamara, the other called John. Both were Americans teaching in schools for families of employees of US oil companies based in Saudi Arabia. Tamara was a nice person. John was not. In fact, he was an obnoxious arrogant American. I was really wondering how they get along... (they are not a couple btw)
A bit of background and info on John:
he's a divorcee with a son who is in high school (so his age is about early 40 I guess?). Teaches music in school. He talks in a really condescending tone and to top it all off his mannerisms are a bit... "broken wristed" (I was wondering if his son was an accident.. like in TransAmerica). He talks like this: "Oh... so you're from Singapore? Where's that?" In fact.. he looks a little like George Bush.. He's thin, probably about 6"2, has light brown hair that's tied up in a pony tail.
A bit of background and info on Tamara:
Teaches English in the school. Has taught in other countries like Sudan and Mexico. A bit on the plump side, she's my height with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. Has a friendly tone of voice.
Upon introduction, John was asking where we are from. We said Singapore. He asked where's that and we told him. Then he commented that we spoke good English. I replied saying that most people speak English in Singapore. My reply wasn't meant to be a barb, I was just speaking the honest to goodness truth! But I think he took it that I was making a sarcastic remark and his replies to me took a caustic turn after. oh well... let's just say that I spoke really little to him after.
We reached our cooking school, Kao Hom after an uncomfortable 40 mins. The place was really nice! Think cottage style with only one level, terracotta roof, granite path ways, stone carvings, lush greenery, it's own mini vegetable garden... Beautiful. There was a long table in the garden for outdoor eating too. It had an outdoor patio with multiple cooking stations around the perimeter (for us to cook) and an island in the centre (so that our teacher can demonstrate). Indoors, there were 6 long benches (3 by 2). Each bench could sit 2 and had a sink in the centre (with handwash no less). All the necessary equipment was stored under the benches in shelves. It brought me back to my Home Economics days. But of course this was more cosy!
Kao Hom means Fragrant Rice and is one of the cooking schools recommended by Lonely Planet. And our teacher was Ms Kanchana Ubolsootvanich (we called her Tim for short). Looking to be in her early 40's, she's a real sprite! She also has her own restaurant which she tends to as well. So her day begins early at 4am to do marketing for her restaurant, go to the restaurant to cook up some of the dishes, then return to the cooking school to start teaching from 11 - 7pm (there are 2 classes per day).. and this includes handling enquiries, arranging transport for the guests etc. I looked at this petite lady in wonder where she gets all her energy from. But Tim was nice and friendly, not to mention encouraging!
So our lessons began for the 8 of us: Tamara, John, the Williams family, DC and I. The Williams family consisted mum and dad and their 2 daughters. Similar to Tamara & John, the Williams family are based in Dubai by the Canadian government to work in a Canadian built hospital there.
So the menu for the day was (in order of appearance - by appearance, I mean when they are served... not how ugly they look. Gimme some credit here!!!)
1) Corn fritters with cucumber relish.
2) Fried fish with mango salad
3) Phad Thai
4) Pumpkin custard
With Tim's instructions, it was pretty easy to do up the dishes. All the ingredients were already prepared, to the exact measurement. All you had to do was to put it in in sequence. And there were many helpers at hand to help out as well. They cleared away the saucers once we were done with them and helped us to keep in check the heat etc, stirring the food occasionally. Piece of cake! And after we did each dish, we went to the long table in the garden to sit and sample what we made. Thankfully, the food I cooked came out decent and edible! If not it would have been a very pathetic lunch. I was particularly proud of my mango salad (Tim had commented that mine looked very professional and presentable).
Though my Phad Thai came out slightly burnt because my heat setting was too high... damn, it still tasted ok, nonetheless. And we washed it down with nice ice cold lemon tea. And did I mention that the coffee was fantastic? I found it hard to believe that it was instant coffee!!!here's the website for those interested: www.kaohom.com
But more importantly, the cooking lesson gave a sliver of insight to cultures. I somehow felt that the Americans were very competitive. Tamara and John did things very very quickly. They were always ahead. But it really made me wonder if they are really appreciating the whole thing? This wasn't a competition! As for the Canadian Williams family, they took things at a slower pace. Each parent was working with a daughter and they were very encouraging. They prodded their daughters on, reminding them to add what etc. 2 countries so close to each other but yet so different. But perhaps it was an unfair comparison?Well, the cooking lesson ended and once again the 4 of us were packed in the Honda CRV while the Williams family were in another vehicle headed to the Airport. And once again the uncomfortable silence ensued. But yet the ride back was not without certain entertainment from dear John:
Act 1: When we were on our way to Kao Hom, near the entrance was a street football compound. At the nets, a dog was tangled there and it looked as if it was trying it's best to get out, trashing about and barking. Dear John was whining, "Oh the poor dog.. whose is it? Why is it tangled? it looks hurt" blah blah blah. But since we had to keep time, we went ahead. On the way out the same dog was still there. This time, it looked worn out from struggling and just lay there, seemingly exhausted. Dear John went "On no, we really have to save it! It looks like it's dead! It looks like it's suffocated! The poor thing" blah blah blah. So our driver stopped the car and we got out, attempting to do OPERATION TANGLED DOG, with Dear John leading. But guess what? As we were approaching the dog, it got up and started growling. And I do mean GROWLING. And that is when dear john chickened out. "Oh, it doesn't seem friendly, and it looks ok and doesn't need our help. Let's go back to the car".... Wuss. So we bundled back into the car again.
Act 2: As we were travelling about in Chiang Mai, dear John suddenly made this comment: "Who is this guy I keep seeing around the whole place in these huge posters?". This "guy" that dear john was mentioning, so happens to be the KING of Thailand (yes.. do I hear "OH MY GOD???"). As if the silence in the car wasn't oppressive enough, dear john's comment just made it more suffocating. After a period of awkward silence, DC spoke up and said that that "guy" was the King of Thailand. And dear john's response? "Oh... he's the king? He looks like a regular joe to me". The silence in the car became so thick that if I had a knife, I could've cut right through it. And I was imagining the headlines in the papers the next day: Woman driver kills foreigners who slander Thai King. Oh God...The Thai's love their King and revere him at an even higher level than god! And just the day before, the headlines told of a mad man who was clubbered to death because he wrecked the famous Erawan Shrine in Bangkok... Yeah... I just wanted to kick dear john out of the car.. while it was till moving!
Thankfully, we managed to reach our hotel in one piece. Since we had 2 hours to spare before checkout, we decided to indulge in a massage. This time, no Thai massage. Instead, we decided to get ourselves slathered in coffee! Yeah.. it was a coffee scrub massage treatment. The coffee smelled so good, I was so tempted to lick some off myself. And to a certain extent, I felt like some sort of... cake.. ha ha ha. But that was the final pampering we were going to get. Back in SG, such a treatment will set you back S$50 - S$100, depending on where you went. But in Chiang Mai, it was less than S$30. Final moments of being treated like a king..
For the next few hours, details were a bit hazy. Largely because we had to checkout in 10 mins. AND we discovered that we still had Baileys in the fridge. So... DC and I finished the last 1/3 of Baileys in 5 mins flat! Oh my god.. I dun think I have drunk anything that fast before. Hence.. everything became hazy after that. Ha ha ha. I vaguely remember checking out, then leaving our belongings with the bellboy. And I believe that we ventured to a nearby shop to buy a cheap haversack for DC. I left the bargaining to DC since I was feeling really zoned out. Unfortunately, he can't haggle... so I don't think he got the best deal. Dinner was at a nearby hotel restaurant since we didn't have enough cash (so had to pay by credit). I didn't eat much and the food really wasn't fantastic (it was german food cooked by Thais). Pretty soon, we were back at our hotel, waiting for the airport pickup.
The trip to the airport kinda sobered me up a bit. Our flight was supposed to be at 10.30pm. When we got to the airport, we were astounded by the length of the queue! There were 2 rows and both had snaked to the entrance of the airport! But we didn't have much of a choice. That wasn't the punchline. As we were finally inching closer to the counter, I was feeling elated, thinking that I could be on the plane and zonked out soon. Then I noticed a sign on the counter. I rubbed my eyes and wished it was a bad dream. The sign read: 10.30pm flight delayed till 11.50pm... I was just struck speechless.
If it had been Changi airport, maybe I wouldn't have minded so much. But the airport in Chiang Mai had NOTHING open at 10.30pm. No Shopping, No entertainment, No Bars... zip.. nada.. So the only thing was to sit, twiddle your thumbs and wait. Ours wasn't the only flight delayed: another Thai Airways flight was delayed due to bad weather in Bangkok. So the whole waiting area was packed, people complaining, snoring, irate kids screaming, frazzled parents also screaming. Then when the plane finally landed at 12 midnight, the kiasu syndrome kicked in once again. I very nearly just wanted to mao some people...
The flight back wasn't smooth. It had quite a few turbulent moments. By the time we reached back Singapore, it was already past 4am. The novelty of being in the new Budget terminal didn't even appeal to me. I just wanted to get back home. Clearing immigration was pretty fast. And seeing that DFS was open, i decided to grab a few duty free liquor. Unfortunately, so did many others. And there was only 1 person on duty. Needless to say, even more waiting was in order. Many gave up and left the shop. But I surprisingly perservered. Maybe because I was just resigned to the fact that since it is already this late, why not even later? Or it could be the alcohol.. heh heh.
Then there was the fact that the budget terminal didn't have a POSB atm at all. DC and I were penniless!!! Oh gosh. The nearest ATM was at Terminal 2. Fed up, I just decided to try my luck and asked the taxi uncles if they accepted credit card. Thankfully, 2 taxi's did and DC and I went our seperate ways.
I finally reached home at 6am in the morning! Needless to say.. i just crashed in a heap on my bed. Zzzzz......
And that concludes my Chiang Mai adventures :)
Monday, April 03, 2006
Chiang Mai Escapade! - 27 Mar 3rd Day
Supermodel Linda Evangelista was once quoted that she "would not get out of bed for less than 10,000 pounds". Well, mine's a lot cheaper. I would get out of bed to the tune of 1,600 Baht (S$70). Ha ha ha.. dang... I'm so cheap! But today (to me) was the best day of the whole trip. And If I had to do it again, I definitely would.
Considering that we had to be up at 7am for breakfast, it definitely was a mean feat for DC to drag me out of bed. I was literally kicking and screaming and the poor guy bore the brunt of it.. a true soldier... ha ha ha. Once I was somewhat awake, we went down for breakfast.
Pick up was at 8 am and they were slightly late. It arrived at about 8.30am in the form of a beat up minivan with the words "Chiang Mai Adventures" on the sides. We were greeted by Win, our guide for the day and the driver (I didn't get his name). Already in the van were 2 passengers: Derek and Era. Derek is a Singaporean Eurasian and Era, his Indonesian girlfriend. Originally from Surabaya, she met him when she was in Bali. They have been together since and she follows him wherever he goes. Derek is outstationed most of the time as his company does time sharing. More recently, he is stationed in Goa and previously in Bali. These 2 were certainly an animated pair! We were chatting for most of the way and we all agreed that it was a good idea to have switched the tour date to Mon. Both of us had initially wanted to go for the Sunday tour, but backed out when we heard that there were 35 people already signed up!!! We further heaved a sigh of relief when Win told us that it was a group of Singaporean students... Talk about a good call....
After travelling for 30 mins, we reached the elephant camp. If I remember correctly, it's called Mataman elephant camp (DC had a field day calling it metalman). We were there for our 1hr elephant ride! I'm not sure if our elephant is a male or female (may be female as it had no tusks). Height wise, it was about 4m tall? The mahout (the caretaker) sat on the elephant's head, while we got on the saddle. And mind you, the saddle was just this wooden seat with foam cushioning (thank god!), that was held together by ropes going under the elephant and around it's tail. The underside of the saddle was stuffed with gunny sacks to further hold it in place. The berthing areas were about 1 story above ground and you boarded the elephant by stepping on it's neck (I wonder if the elephants feel pain when Japanese tourists in stilettos step on them?). Once you are in your seat, they close the bar of the saddle (think roller coaster rides with only a bar in front) with a flimsy lock and you are ready for your ride!! Woo Hoo!
It took some time getting used to the elephant. Sitting on it makes you feel like you were on a ship. As the elephant lumbered across the hilly terrian, you would sway from side to side. How bad was it? Let's say that DC couldn't even get a decent picture while on the elephant. He commented that no amount of steady shot can save the pictures. When the elephant went down slopey terrian, you better hang on tight. The feeling one gets is like you are going to slip out of the seat (remember, the safety belt is only a bar. Reed thin people, beware)!
And there were certain times that the elephant misbehaved. At times, it got distracted with leftover sugarcanes in the undergrowth; refused to move the right direction; moved too slowly etc. That's when the mahout starts beating the elephant with his tool: a wooden stick with a sickle like attachment at the end. He would hit the elephant on the head and from where I was, I could see lacerations and punctures both old and new on the elephants skin. This must be a really naughty fella! There was a point of time where the mahout hit the elephant and it started trumpeting!! Oh my god! I really panicked! I wasn't worried about being flung off the elephant. I was more worried about being flung off the elephant, elephant loses it's footing and it's entire 1 tonne weight comes crashing down on me from the slope... shudder. Thankfully my fears were unfounded. The elephant, though being big, was extremely surefooted. At any one point, there was always 3 feet on the ground. After all, Hannibal did use elephants to cross the Alps, which were sheeted in ice!
But our elephant wasn't as naughty as Derek's and Era's. At a rest point, our mahout had alighted to get a drink of water. Our elephant was happily munching on the bananas and sugarcanes we had bought for it. Derek's elephant came over and started snatching our elephant's bananas! A mini scuffle ensued until both mahouts came. Needless to say that Derek's elephant got a sound beating... we on the other hand were frozen with panic (remember the mahout wasn't there...)
But if there is one thing I did regret not doing, was to climb onto the elephant and sit at the nook of it's neck. The mahout had offered us to join him. DC refused flatly. I was unsure, especially since I wasn't sure what the terrain further up would be like. But it proved to be the something I would later regret as we soon reached back the elephant camp. Sigh. Should've just seized the moment. Overall, the ride was fun but it was a pity that the weather was hot an hazy so one couldn't fully appreciate the countryside. We bought a souvenir photograph made from recycled elephant dung for 200 Baht! Derek joked that we were really buying crap! Ha ha. but hey.. proceeds fo towards elephant conservation so it's dung for a good cause!
Our next stop was at the start of the hill at a small village. That was the point where we start cycling 10km up to the next village to white water raft down. Win and the driver unloaded the bicycles from the top of the minivan, gave us cute little yellow helmets and a rough crash course on how to change the gears etc. Well, we were all enthusiastic and started pedalling off. In my mind, I was thinking: 10 km shouldn't be a major problem.. after all, just a few weeks before, we were cycling at Pulau Ubin... boy was i wrong. The terrain here was 10 times more hilly than Ubin. And with little cloud cover and tree shade, we were all soon heaving and panting. And when vans or scooters zoomed by, they left a lot of dust in their wake. And that was what did DC in. He was the first to give up. So he got bundled off into the van in airconditioned comfort while the rest of us continued on.
The next to give up was Derek. After conquering a hill, he declared that he couldn't take it. And since he was stopping, Era decided to stop as well. I was like... what the hell?? You call urselves men (I'm referring to DC and Derek)??? Although i had wanted to see how far I could go, it wouldn't be fair for 3 people to be waiting for me. So I stopped as well. Darn. Later learned from Win that most asians stopped at the 2km mark (about where we stopped) while the Europeans continued the whole 10km! Aiyoh.. so pai seh...
We reached the next village and we were served lunch! Lunch was quite sumptous: Salad (with dressing no less); fried chicken; fried spring rolls; fruits; coffee and tea! wow! But we all didn't eat much knowing that we will be exerting a lot of energy later on. After lunch came the cute part. We were required to practice certain basic moves for white water rafting:
1) Normal position: when no command is given, one hand holds on to the cord on the side of the raft while the other one holds on to the oar. The oar must also be tucked under the arm that is holding onto the cord.
2) Forward: your body moves forward and you dig into the water and pull back
3) Backward: Do the opposite of forward, move backward, dig into the water and push forward
4) Over left/right: If you are on the right of the raft, you have to go to the left and vice versa. This is used when the raft gets stuck.
5) Hang on: you hold on and lean your body forward to provide lower CG
6) Get down: you jump into the raft and bend down (still holding onto the cord), taking care not to put ur knee on the bottom of the raft. DC did that and a rock banged his knee.
We did the practice moves on a dummy raft. Win also explained how to float yourself should you drop into the river; how to pick a fallen rafter with the oar etc. He also told us that he will be our rescue team, waiting on the left bank, throwing a line in should we not be able to get back on the raft. With that said, we strapped on the life vests and yellow helmuts and went down the river bank. Our river captain was waiting. His name was Tip and he looked pretty stern. We got into the raft and did the practice moves before setting off!
The whole rafting would take about 2 hours. The initial part was pretty peaceful. Tip was steering the raft most of the time. We listened to his commands. Went forward when necessary or returned to normal position. Very soon, we came to an obstacle: a fallen tree. The tree wasn't huge, but it was long, stretching from one side of the bank to the other. It was mostly submerged and we thought that we could go over it. Bad judgement. The raft got stuck and couldn't move. Tip then shouted: Get out. All 4 of us were momentarily stunned. We looked at each other and gave the look that read: which command was that??? We didn't learn that!! We looked at Tip for affirmation to what he said and he nodded.
So off the raft we went. The water was shallow, but the rocks were slippery. Derek and Era were not wearing sandles and ended up getting grazed on their feet. We had to climb over the tree and carry the raft over it. While in the water, we could feel the current. Though not overbearingly strong, it still had the potential to carry a fatigued person away. We climbed back in the raft (not easy!) and continued on.
Overall, the ride was a pretty fun one. When the rapids came, we were listening to commands and paddling like crazy. Hanging on also proved to be a challenge, especially when your raft was bumping into rocks in all directions!The helmets came in handy when we were REALLY close to the rocks (yes, your head will hit the rocks)! The plunges were ok but I believe it would be even more fun during the medium season in Oct. It also helped that every one in the raft was cooperative and working together. It made for a safer ride. And at the more dangerous rapids, our rescue team was on standby at the left bank.
Of course throughout the 2 hour trip, not everything was adrenaline pumping. During the lull periods, it was a good time to relax and take in the peacefulness of the Mae Phing river. You can hear the cicadas making a symphony; further down the river you can see elephants playing by the river (I have no idea how they got there. Looking at the terrain it was extremely steep!); Pass by the villages where children swim and play by the river, giving extremely friendly and genuine smiles when you waved to them. Or you can see the villagers catching fish. There was also supposed to be a baby crocodile hiding amongst the crevice of a rock, but didn't manage to get a good glimpse of it. The raft couldn't go near enough and I was without my glasses. But that certainly made me think twice about jumping into the water for a swim.. when there's baby croc, mama croc must be lurking somewhere... *cue lake placid soundtrack*
Majority of the fun parts came from our river captain Tip. The guy of few words proved to be equally playful. Halfway through, he made us do our moves again. At the point where he shouted "Over left", DC and I scrambled over to Derek & Era's side. But, even Tip went over to the left side. With the imbalance, it caused the boat to capsize! Ahhhh!!!! Should've saw that coming!!! Along the way, Tip would also use the oar to splash water at us. And halfway through he made us play the game "Helicopter": he connected the front of the raft with a string, and went to the end of the raft. When everyone was seated at the end of the raft, Era and I started paddling in different directions, causing the raft to spin. As we paddled faster and faster, he tightened his grip on the rope, causing the front of the raft to lift off. Needless to say, the whole raft capsized when Era & I lost our mometum. Entertainment also came in the form of another rafting group, consisting of a caucasian couple and their two Thai captains. We started racing with each other and had water splashing fights. We also laughed at them when they got stuck at the rocks (of course.. they did the same when we got stuck).
Soon, the journey came to an end. We went up the bank where there was changing rooms (made of rattan.. not much privacy though), had some refreshments and then packed up into the mini van to go home. Of course... everyone was tired out and just slept in the van... zzz
DC and I ended the day going for a Thai herbal massage. This time the massage was totally opposite from the one yesterday. It was pretty obvious that the lady doing it was just going through the motions. But her grip was painful and I can feel that she was just using excessive force. A lot of pummelling, pinching, grasping. It kinda reminded me of the Chinese massage that Kokodile brought me to. I was nearly murdered there!!! (no kidding, people who love SM, let me know and i will bring u there). This was no different. While I was lamenting on what happened to all the stretching associated with Thai massage, she started sponging me with this hot ball of cloth. Apparently the ball contains the herbs and they steam the ball. But it was really hot and i really felt like I was some meat being marinated. Urgh.. doesn't help that the ball left a trial of yellow substance on me...
Day ended with dinner at a seafood restaurant at Anusarn restaurant. They speak Chinese!!!!! Wonderful! We ordered Or Luat, Fish Maw Soup, Butter Prawns, Fried rice, Crab Roll all for only 650 Baht. Expensive in Thailand, but cheap by Singapore standards! Then went back to the hotel to bathe.. and zone out... zzzz
Considering that we had to be up at 7am for breakfast, it definitely was a mean feat for DC to drag me out of bed. I was literally kicking and screaming and the poor guy bore the brunt of it.. a true soldier... ha ha ha. Once I was somewhat awake, we went down for breakfast.
Pick up was at 8 am and they were slightly late. It arrived at about 8.30am in the form of a beat up minivan with the words "Chiang Mai Adventures" on the sides. We were greeted by Win, our guide for the day and the driver (I didn't get his name). Already in the van were 2 passengers: Derek and Era. Derek is a Singaporean Eurasian and Era, his Indonesian girlfriend. Originally from Surabaya, she met him when she was in Bali. They have been together since and she follows him wherever he goes. Derek is outstationed most of the time as his company does time sharing. More recently, he is stationed in Goa and previously in Bali. These 2 were certainly an animated pair! We were chatting for most of the way and we all agreed that it was a good idea to have switched the tour date to Mon. Both of us had initially wanted to go for the Sunday tour, but backed out when we heard that there were 35 people already signed up!!! We further heaved a sigh of relief when Win told us that it was a group of Singaporean students... Talk about a good call....
After travelling for 30 mins, we reached the elephant camp. If I remember correctly, it's called Mataman elephant camp (DC had a field day calling it metalman). We were there for our 1hr elephant ride! I'm not sure if our elephant is a male or female (may be female as it had no tusks). Height wise, it was about 4m tall? The mahout (the caretaker) sat on the elephant's head, while we got on the saddle. And mind you, the saddle was just this wooden seat with foam cushioning (thank god!), that was held together by ropes going under the elephant and around it's tail. The underside of the saddle was stuffed with gunny sacks to further hold it in place. The berthing areas were about 1 story above ground and you boarded the elephant by stepping on it's neck (I wonder if the elephants feel pain when Japanese tourists in stilettos step on them?). Once you are in your seat, they close the bar of the saddle (think roller coaster rides with only a bar in front) with a flimsy lock and you are ready for your ride!! Woo Hoo!It took some time getting used to the elephant. Sitting on it makes you feel like you were on a ship. As the elephant lumbered across the hilly terrian, you would sway from side to side. How bad was it? Let's say that DC couldn't even get a decent picture while on the elephant. He commented that no amount of steady shot can save the pictures. When the elephant went down slopey terrian, you better hang on tight. The feeling one gets is like you are going to slip out of the seat (remember, the safety belt is only a bar. Reed thin people, beware)!
And there were certain times that the elephant misbehaved. At times, it got distracted with leftover sugarcanes in the undergrowth; refused to move the right direction; moved too slowly etc. That's when the mahout starts beating the elephant with his tool: a wooden stick with a sickle like attachment at the end. He would hit the elephant on the head and from where I was, I could see lacerations and punctures both old and new on the elephants skin. This must be a really naughty fella! There was a point of time where the mahout hit the elephant and it started trumpeting!! Oh my god! I really panicked! I wasn't worried about being flung off the elephant. I was more worried about being flung off the elephant, elephant loses it's footing and it's entire 1 tonne weight comes crashing down on me from the slope... shudder. Thankfully my fears were unfounded. The elephant, though being big, was extremely surefooted. At any one point, there was always 3 feet on the ground. After all, Hannibal did use elephants to cross the Alps, which were sheeted in ice!
But our elephant wasn't as naughty as Derek's and Era's. At a rest point, our mahout had alighted to get a drink of water. Our elephant was happily munching on the bananas and sugarcanes we had bought for it. Derek's elephant came over and started snatching our elephant's bananas! A mini scuffle ensued until both mahouts came. Needless to say that Derek's elephant got a sound beating... we on the other hand were frozen with panic (remember the mahout wasn't there...)
But if there is one thing I did regret not doing, was to climb onto the elephant and sit at the nook of it's neck. The mahout had offered us to join him. DC refused flatly. I was unsure, especially since I wasn't sure what the terrain further up would be like. But it proved to be the something I would later regret as we soon reached back the elephant camp. Sigh. Should've just seized the moment. Overall, the ride was fun but it was a pity that the weather was hot an hazy so one couldn't fully appreciate the countryside. We bought a souvenir photograph made from recycled elephant dung for 200 Baht! Derek joked that we were really buying crap! Ha ha. but hey.. proceeds fo towards elephant conservation so it's dung for a good cause!Our next stop was at the start of the hill at a small village. That was the point where we start cycling 10km up to the next village to white water raft down. Win and the driver unloaded the bicycles from the top of the minivan, gave us cute little yellow helmets and a rough crash course on how to change the gears etc. Well, we were all enthusiastic and started pedalling off. In my mind, I was thinking: 10 km shouldn't be a major problem.. after all, just a few weeks before, we were cycling at Pulau Ubin... boy was i wrong. The terrain here was 10 times more hilly than Ubin. And with little cloud cover and tree shade, we were all soon heaving and panting. And when vans or scooters zoomed by, they left a lot of dust in their wake. And that was what did DC in. He was the first to give up. So he got bundled off into the van in airconditioned comfort while the rest of us continued on.
The next to give up was Derek. After conquering a hill, he declared that he couldn't take it. And since he was stopping, Era decided to stop as well. I was like... what the hell?? You call urselves men (I'm referring to DC and Derek)??? Although i had wanted to see how far I could go, it wouldn't be fair for 3 people to be waiting for me. So I stopped as well. Darn. Later learned from Win that most asians stopped at the 2km mark (about where we stopped) while the Europeans continued the whole 10km! Aiyoh.. so pai seh...
We reached the next village and we were served lunch! Lunch was quite sumptous: Salad (with dressing no less); fried chicken; fried spring rolls; fruits; coffee and tea! wow! But we all didn't eat much knowing that we will be exerting a lot of energy later on. After lunch came the cute part. We were required to practice certain basic moves for white water rafting:
1) Normal position: when no command is given, one hand holds on to the cord on the side of the raft while the other one holds on to the oar. The oar must also be tucked under the arm that is holding onto the cord.
2) Forward: your body moves forward and you dig into the water and pull back
3) Backward: Do the opposite of forward, move backward, dig into the water and push forward
4) Over left/right: If you are on the right of the raft, you have to go to the left and vice versa. This is used when the raft gets stuck.
5) Hang on: you hold on and lean your body forward to provide lower CG
6) Get down: you jump into the raft and bend down (still holding onto the cord), taking care not to put ur knee on the bottom of the raft. DC did that and a rock banged his knee.
We did the practice moves on a dummy raft. Win also explained how to float yourself should you drop into the river; how to pick a fallen rafter with the oar etc. He also told us that he will be our rescue team, waiting on the left bank, throwing a line in should we not be able to get back on the raft. With that said, we strapped on the life vests and yellow helmuts and went down the river bank. Our river captain was waiting. His name was Tip and he looked pretty stern. We got into the raft and did the practice moves before setting off!
The whole rafting would take about 2 hours. The initial part was pretty peaceful. Tip was steering the raft most of the time. We listened to his commands. Went forward when necessary or returned to normal position. Very soon, we came to an obstacle: a fallen tree. The tree wasn't huge, but it was long, stretching from one side of the bank to the other. It was mostly submerged and we thought that we could go over it. Bad judgement. The raft got stuck and couldn't move. Tip then shouted: Get out. All 4 of us were momentarily stunned. We looked at each other and gave the look that read: which command was that??? We didn't learn that!! We looked at Tip for affirmation to what he said and he nodded.
So off the raft we went. The water was shallow, but the rocks were slippery. Derek and Era were not wearing sandles and ended up getting grazed on their feet. We had to climb over the tree and carry the raft over it. While in the water, we could feel the current. Though not overbearingly strong, it still had the potential to carry a fatigued person away. We climbed back in the raft (not easy!) and continued on.
Overall, the ride was a pretty fun one. When the rapids came, we were listening to commands and paddling like crazy. Hanging on also proved to be a challenge, especially when your raft was bumping into rocks in all directions!The helmets came in handy when we were REALLY close to the rocks (yes, your head will hit the rocks)! The plunges were ok but I believe it would be even more fun during the medium season in Oct. It also helped that every one in the raft was cooperative and working together. It made for a safer ride. And at the more dangerous rapids, our rescue team was on standby at the left bank.
Of course throughout the 2 hour trip, not everything was adrenaline pumping. During the lull periods, it was a good time to relax and take in the peacefulness of the Mae Phing river. You can hear the cicadas making a symphony; further down the river you can see elephants playing by the river (I have no idea how they got there. Looking at the terrain it was extremely steep!); Pass by the villages where children swim and play by the river, giving extremely friendly and genuine smiles when you waved to them. Or you can see the villagers catching fish. There was also supposed to be a baby crocodile hiding amongst the crevice of a rock, but didn't manage to get a good glimpse of it. The raft couldn't go near enough and I was without my glasses. But that certainly made me think twice about jumping into the water for a swim.. when there's baby croc, mama croc must be lurking somewhere... *cue lake placid soundtrack*
Majority of the fun parts came from our river captain Tip. The guy of few words proved to be equally playful. Halfway through, he made us do our moves again. At the point where he shouted "Over left", DC and I scrambled over to Derek & Era's side. But, even Tip went over to the left side. With the imbalance, it caused the boat to capsize! Ahhhh!!!! Should've saw that coming!!! Along the way, Tip would also use the oar to splash water at us. And halfway through he made us play the game "Helicopter": he connected the front of the raft with a string, and went to the end of the raft. When everyone was seated at the end of the raft, Era and I started paddling in different directions, causing the raft to spin. As we paddled faster and faster, he tightened his grip on the rope, causing the front of the raft to lift off. Needless to say, the whole raft capsized when Era & I lost our mometum. Entertainment also came in the form of another rafting group, consisting of a caucasian couple and their two Thai captains. We started racing with each other and had water splashing fights. We also laughed at them when they got stuck at the rocks (of course.. they did the same when we got stuck).
Soon, the journey came to an end. We went up the bank where there was changing rooms (made of rattan.. not much privacy though), had some refreshments and then packed up into the mini van to go home. Of course... everyone was tired out and just slept in the van... zzz
DC and I ended the day going for a Thai herbal massage. This time the massage was totally opposite from the one yesterday. It was pretty obvious that the lady doing it was just going through the motions. But her grip was painful and I can feel that she was just using excessive force. A lot of pummelling, pinching, grasping. It kinda reminded me of the Chinese massage that Kokodile brought me to. I was nearly murdered there!!! (no kidding, people who love SM, let me know and i will bring u there). This was no different. While I was lamenting on what happened to all the stretching associated with Thai massage, she started sponging me with this hot ball of cloth. Apparently the ball contains the herbs and they steam the ball. But it was really hot and i really felt like I was some meat being marinated. Urgh.. doesn't help that the ball left a trial of yellow substance on me...
Day ended with dinner at a seafood restaurant at Anusarn restaurant. They speak Chinese!!!!! Wonderful! We ordered Or Luat, Fish Maw Soup, Butter Prawns, Fried rice, Crab Roll all for only 650 Baht. Expensive in Thailand, but cheap by Singapore standards! Then went back to the hotel to bathe.. and zone out... zzzz
